10 Supporting Performances That Are Perfect

The role of the supporting actor is a noble one. It’s a kind of performance that demands both humility and terrific skill, a capacity to let the lead actor or actress take center stage or fit seamlessly into a larger ensemble while still delivering work that’s impactful and memorable. Throughout history, there have been many outstanding supporting performances in movies — but only a handful that are truly, genuinely perfect.

From foreign classics to modern Hollywood gems and from Oscar-winning spectacles to a bit more obscure arthouse fare, there are all sorts of movies that lend themselves well to exceptional supporting performances. Limited though they may sometimes be, these portrayals tend to be one of the most memorable parts of their respective movie, and if done right, can even go so far as to outshine the lead. These are the most flawless supporting performances in cinematic history, a who’s who of scene-stealers and scenery chewers.

10 Olympia Dukakis as Rose Castorini

‘Moonstruck’ (1987)

One of the most beloved and iconic rom-coms of the ’80s, Moonstruck is a perfect encapsulation of what makes the genre so enjoyable. Directed by Norman Jewison, it’s about Loretta Castorini, a Brooklyn bookkeeper who finds herself in a complicated situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry. Both Cher and Nicolas Cage are fantastic as the couple the movie focuses on, but very often, it’s Olympia Dukakis who steals the spotlight every time she’s on screen.

Quite fittingly, Dukakis’s performance is perhaps the most beloved Best Supporting Actress Oscar recipient of the ’80s. The actress is hilarious, endlessly charismatic, and quite convincingly Italian-American in the role. However, she also adds nuance in small facial expressions and brief gestures that add an awful lot to her character. It’s largely thanks to her magnetic charm that this is one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time.

9 Setsuko Hara as Noriko Hirayama

‘Tokyo Story’ (1953)

One of the few movies with a perfect 100% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, Tokyo Story is the magnum opus of legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujirô Ozu. Shot and structured in Ozu’s signature ultra-minimalistic style, it’s a heartbreaking story about an old couple who visit their children and grandchildren in the city. Once they get there, though, they receive much less attention than they were hoping for.

The whole cast is phenomenal in this beautiful tale about the sadness of children growing up and the Westernization of Japanese family culture post-WWII. There’s one actress, though, who stands far above the rest in the ensemble: Common Ozu collaborator Setsuko Hara. Hara made six movies with the director, but Tokyo Story is probably her best work. Despite the resilience of her unique smile, this is a performance that hides tremendous amounts of pain and poignancy under the surface, which Hara only allows to boil over a little bit occasionally. Emotionally stirring and perfectly balanced, it’s a magnificent turn that absolutely steals the film.

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8 Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito

‘Goodfellas’ (1990)

While it wasn’t Joe Pesci‘s breakout role, his portrayal of violent gangster Tommy DeVito in Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas was the performance that cemented him as one of the greatest in the business. The movie is perhaps the greatest gangster biopic ever made, telling the story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, focusing on his relationship with his wife, Karen Friedman Hill, and his mob partners, Jimmy Conway (based on James Burke) and DeVito (based on Thomas DeSimone).

Pesci’s performance as DeVito is explosive, unpredictable, simultaneously terrifying and — don’t tell him — kinda funny. It was the role that earned him an Academy Award, and to this day, it’s remembered as one of the best in the gangster genre. The actor perfectly embodies the film’s tone: brutal and dark, with a strangely effective and dark sense of humor.

7 Mo’Nique as Mary Lee Johnson

‘Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire’ (2009)

It’s not often — not to say it’s unprecedented — for a comedian to play as intensely against type as Mo’Nique did in Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire. A beautiful movie but definitely way too intense for the faint of heart, Precious is a coming-of-age set in Harlem circa 1987, where an abused, illiterate teen pregnant with her second child enrolls in an alternative school, hoping she can give her life a new direction.

Mo’Nique plays the protagonist’s horrifically abusive mother, Mary Lee Johnson. It’s an incredibly dark, hard-to-play character that any lesser actress might have played in a downright villainous tone. Not Mo’Nique. She digs deep into Mary Lee and finds the humanity inside her, bringing it to light with as many nuances and layers as one could ask for. It’s an expert, harrowing, and utterly unforgettable portrayal that would convince anyone that Mo’Nique had been playing dramatic roles for decades.

6 Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone

‘The Godfather Part II’ (1974)

Just one short year after his breakout role in Martin Scorsese‘s Mean Streets, Robert De Niro took on a completely different role when he was cast as a young Vito Corleone (previously played by Marlon Brando) in Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather Part II. Part prequel, part sequel, the movie juxtaposes the story of Vito’s rise to power with Michael’s expansion of his empire and the subsequent destruction of his soul.

Easily queen among movies with parallel narratives, Godfather II is one of the greatest Hollywood films ever made. That’s largely thanks to its incredibly dedicated cast, where Al Pacino offers what may just be the best leading performance in any American film. Somehow, not only is De Niro (who won his first Oscar for his work here) able to not be outshined by such a brilliant performance, but he actually manages to offer one that’s every bit as great. Serious, elegant, imposing, and similar enough to Brando’s Vito to make the prequel aspect believable while still offering plenty of the actor’s trademark spice, De Niro’s Vito is definitely one of the best supporting acting performances of all time.

5 Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd

‘The Master’ (2012)

The late Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the greatest thespians of his generation and participated in some of the greatest movies of his time. One of his best is Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master, a psychological drama about a Naval veteran who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future until he’s tantalized by a cult and its charismatic yet enigmatic leader.

With some of the most flawless direction and most impeccable performances of Anderson’s filmography, The Master is easily one of the most riveting psychological dramas from the 2010s. It also happens to be arguably the actor’s best performance. Mysterious and terrifying yet irresistibly charming, it’s a masterful portrayal of a profoundly complex man. Hoffman gives a shockingly calm and quiet performance that hides incredible amounts of power under its subdued façade.

4 Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz

‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola had what may just be the best one-two-three-four punch of any filmmaker in history. The Godfather in ’72, both The Conversation and Godfather Part II in ’74 — and then, after a hellish uphill battle, he finally got Apocalypse Now released in 1979. Inspired by Joseph Conrad‘s Heart of Darkness, it’s about an American Army officer serving in Vietnam tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.

Apocalypse Now
is one of the 1970s’ most genuinely perfect films, and as it happens, it also holds one of the most perfect supporting performances ever.

Apocalypse Now was more than worth Coppola’s titanic efforts to get it made. It’s one of the 1970s’ most genuinely perfect films, and, as it happens, also has one of the most perfect supporting performances ever: Marlon Brando’s mysterious Colonel Kurtz, of course. The actor was reportedly a nightmare for Coppola to direct, but the results will live on in cinematic legend for generations. Never before had an actor been so imposing and attention-hijacking with as little screen time in a film. Making the best of every second, Brando delivers one of the most memorable and intimidating characters in Coppola’s filmography.

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3 Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa

‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

Quentin Tarantino always seems to get the best out of his actors, but few of his collaborations are as fruitful as the one he has with Christoph Waltz. The pair first worked together in the film that gave Waltz his first Oscar: Inglourious Basterds. It follows a group of Jewish American soldiers who plan to assassinate Nazi leaders during WWII, which coincides with a theater owner’s vengeful plans to do the same.

Waltz plays Hans Landa, the evil polyglot Austrian SS Colonel who serves as the film’s main antagonist. For a long time, Tarantino thought that he wouldn’t be able to make Inglourious Basterds since he thought that the role of Landa was simply unplayable. Then, along came Waltz. His Landa is beyond chilling, a horrifying force of nature whose evil is juxtaposed with his charismatic smile and bubbly demeanor. In Waltz’s hands, Landa becomes one of the best movie villains of the 2000s.

2 Robin Williams as Sean Maguire

‘Good Will Hunting’ (1997)

One of Robin Williams‘s best movies, Gus Van Sant‘s Good Will Hunting (written by stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who won an Oscar for their script), is one of the best coming-of-age tales of the ’90s. It’s about Will Hunting, an MIT janitor with a secret gift for math. However, he needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life before he’s able to make good use of his talents.

Williams, in one of his most impactful dramatic roles, plays Sean, the psychologist who helps the protagonist overcome his tragic past. Williams’ work in Good Will Hunting is the best of all dramatic performances by a comedic actor, proving that not only was he a hilarious comedian but also a genuinely deeply gifted thespian. Williams makes Sean vulnerable, complicated, enigmatic, and profoundly endearing. It’s perhaps Willaims’ most interesting character, so it’s no surprise that Sean allows him to give the best performance of his whole career.

1 Heath Ledger as The Joker

‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

When people talk about supporting performances that stole the show, Heath Ledger‘s name is guaranteed to come up in conversation. After all, his take on the Joker, perhaps comic books’ most iconic villain, is absolutely legendary. He played the character in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight, an action thriller that sees the Joker wreak havoc on Gotham City, leading Batman, James Gordon, and Harvey Dent to work together to put an end to the villain’s madness.

Arguably the single greatest villain performance of all time, Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is a brilliant and accurate depiction of the character that Batman fans already knew and loved and an expansion of his endlessly influential mythos. Chaotic yet perfectly calculated, terrifying yet magnetic, and with just the right amount of excess, Ledger’s Joker is an appropriately celebrated performance that proves that supporting actors are as important as leads.

NEXT:The Best Movie Villains of All Time, Ranked